Hair loss...?

My foundered mare has recently lost about a foot along her neck of mane. Way above where her blanket sits...

She doesnt get grain because of the founder issue, but has free access to a mineral and salt block,,

What do you think could cause this?

I bought her a vitamin supplement to syringe into her mouth, do you think this will help?

Our gelding is doing the same thing! About six or eight inches of mane is coming out in gobs right near the crest of his mane. I wasn't sure if it was hood irritation or lice or whatever. It's a little scurfy looking so I cleaned it off real good and have been applying betadine daily and it seems to have quit for the meantime but now I need to get it regrown. The vet is coming out Thursday for spring shots so I'll find out what she thinks about it and tell you. It sounds like the same type of thing you have going on.

That's the same thing that happened to my sister's horse, just a few inches below the mane on the off side, with a long streak... then even some in the flank area. I put some stuff on it there for a while, and decided I'd sit and see if it got any worse... it didn't.

I don't know what the heck it was, but he's growing hair like crazy there now - course he's black, but you can barely see where it was now.

Weirdest thing I've ever seen.

I don't think I would give a syringe of vitamins to a horse that has access to good quality vitamins and minerals including quality hay... you may end up with problems including an imbalance of too many vitamins to a toxic amount.. before I did that I would have a vet draw blood or you may cause more problems than you already have.... Review the mineral you have is it a mineral block that is mostly salt or is it a mineral block that has a large % of minerals... most of the mineral blocks you can buy through the co ops are 98% salt.. now mormans and buckeye for example are high % minerals not just salt...

This mare has a mineral block, and a salt block, as well as a lickit. Her hay is not high quality because she can't have high quality hay with her condition.

The hair is starting to grow back, and with the moisurizer I put on it, isnt as chapped as before... I am just paranoid partially because her diet isnt great, and she is in foal to boot...

I talked to my vet about syringing it orally to her, since she doesnt get grain, and she said that part was fine... but I will have them out for a routine check up on her anyways, so hopefully they can tell me what to do, and I will do as you suggest Lynn, and get some blood drawn to see her mineral and vitamin levels.

I have also been syringing it to another one of my mares... She wont eat it on her grain? I dont think it smells that bad... so I dont know why she puts up such a fuss lol.

It says on the bottle to put it on grain for pregnant mares.... but I will talk with my vet again here.

My mare has a blanket on, so I will have to take it off to check for any other missing hair.

Thank you to everyone who has replied. I appreciate it greatly

hey I thought I had posted may I posted somewhere else ask your vet about feeding her safe choice or safe and easy both are the low carb/low starch grains made by nutrena and buckeye respectively should be safe for a foundered mare but I would double check with a vet... I would think a product like this would be ok while in the last 3 months while nutritional demands are at the highest and during lactation... just a thought! let me know what the vet says...

Lynn M. wrote:

hey I thought I had posted may I posted somewhere else ask your vet about feeding her safe choice or safe and easy both are the low carb/low starch grains made by nutrena and buckeye respectively should be safe for a foundered mare but I would double check with a vet... I would think a product like this would be ok while in the last 3 months while nutritional demands are at the highest and during lactation... just a thought! let me know what the vet says...

Thank you!!! lol, but the main question after speaking with my vet is.... where could I get these? I know UFA (United Farmers Of Alberta) do not carry those brands..... So would I even be able to get it here?

can you check their web sites? my horses are loving the safe choice and my hubby works at a feed store that sells buckeye and the clients love it!!! I can get you the # to the main guys if you want it... Im sure they can find a way to get feed to you your mare needs something if she is carrying a baby or you are going to have bone and joint issues with the little one... email me reingirl@msn.com

Merikle, just wanted to get back with you about what the vet said about my horses' hair loss on his mane. She came out Thursday. It was a fungus of some sort, which are more prevalent I guess in the wet months. She said looked like we had it pretty much stopped by cleaning it and putting on Betadine, but she gave me some Ketochlor shampoo to just rub in every day and rinse out. She said the majority of hair loss problems are fungus-related of some sort. I still need to get some M-T-G to try and help the hair grow back in .

[quote="Lynn M."]can you check their web sites? my horses are loving the safe choice and my hubby works at a feed store that sells buckeye and the clients love it!!! I can get you the # to the main guys if you want it... Im sure they can find a way to get feed to you your mare needs something if she is carrying a baby or you are going to have bone and joint issues with the little one... email me [email]reingirl@msn.com[/quote[/email]]

will do

stockman wrote:

Merikle, just wanted to get back with you about what the vet said about my horses' hair loss on his mane. She came out Thursday. It was a fungus of some sort, which are more prevalent I guess in the wet months. She said looked like we had it pretty much stopped by cleaning it and putting on Betadine, but she gave me some Ketochlor shampoo to just rub in every day and rinse out. She said the majority of hair loss problems are fungus-related of some sort. I still need to get some M-T-G to try and help the hair grow back in .

Alright, thank you... Its not really wet here.... just cold lol. So I am not sure if it is a fungus or just maybe poor nutrition? I know it isn't lice... she has had lice before, and its not the same.

I will talk to my vet today, and I do have some of the MTG stuff, and I will put some of that on her as well.

Thank you

Just so you know too, most feed brands to in fact carry low starch feeds. When you go to buy feed, ask the store workers if they have any kind of grain safe for horses that have a tendency to tie up, they will provide you with either a low or no starch feed that should be safe for your mare to eat. Also, I would look into a weight builder product, there are some that are most just plain fat and have very low amounts of sugar/starch in them. I could look up some information if you gave me the names of prominient feed brands in your area.

Baby oil and listerine make a great spray on for fungus. The listerine kills the fungus and the baby oil conditions. I learned this from a Morgan breeder.. Works great and CHEAP..